Vinicius Junior booed by his own supporters is no longer a one-off at the Santiago Bernabéu — it is becoming the defining subplot of Real Madrid’s season. The whistles arrived in the 14th minute of Tuesday’s Champions League opener against Inter Milan. The Brazilian took his first one-against-one, lost the ball, and a section of the ground let him have it. When José Mourinho withdrew him in the 87th, the reaction was louder still.
As Mundo Deportivo put it, the Bernabéu is Real Madrid’s stadium, but right now it is not Vinícius’s. Los Blancos still won 2-1, as we covered in our full reaction to the Inter game. Nobody left talking about the three points.
Vinicius Junior booed on his best defensive night in years
The awkward part is what the numbers say. Vinícius recovered possession nine times against Inter — more than double the next-best Madrid player, Jude Bellingham, on four. According to Madrid Universal, no Real Madrid forward had recorded more recoveries in a single match since Gonzalo Higuaín managed 12 in 2008.
Going the other way, it was thin: no shot on target, no clear-cut chance created, two completed dribbles. Which is the honest core of the argument. The commitment the Bernabéu has spent two years demanding was finally there. The end product was not.
Mourinho: ‘He knows he is not in killer mode’
Mourinho declined to criticise the crowd but was unambiguous about the player. “I’m not criticising the fans, I’m speaking as a coach. He has my utmost respect. He’s not at his peak. It’s something we all see,” the Portuguese said, adding that the Brazilian is “working harder than ever” in training and in matches.
He also set out the terms of his support plainly: “If he works for the team, he always has my support. Someone who gives their all isn’t obligated to give more.” And a promise: “The moment will come when he decides matches.” It is consistent with the approach we described in our piece on Mourinho’s man-management of Vinícius and Kylian Mbappé.
Raúl and Álvaro Benito: an inherited grievance
Raúl González, making his debut as a Champions League pundit on Movistar, defended the performance while warning the winger about the room he plays in. “He was very committed defensively. He contributed a lot and defended like one more,” Raúl said. “He has to know that the Bernabéu crowd is very demanding and always wants the maximum. He isn’t at his best moment either, but in one or two weeks he’ll be back at his top level.”
Former Madrid midfielder Álvaro Benito, speaking on Cadena SER, made the sharper diagnosis. “The whistles are not from today. They are an inheritance from the last two years, and a situation the team has to turn around,” he said, arguing the crowd now “wants to see something else” and is no longer satisfied by winning on raw firepower alone.
Not only Vinícius
It is worth noting who else got it. Marca reported that Mbappé was whistled too, with Madrid 2-0 up. On Radio Marca’s La Tribu, Javier Tintó noted there were already whistles by the 12th minute and concluded: “The Bernabéu has not reset the counter.” Pedro Riesco went further, claiming the egos of Madrid’s two biggest attackers are incompatible — a talking-point opinion rather than a club position, and one that echoes the balance questions we raised about Vinícius’s role alongside Mbappé and Bellingham.
None of this is a contract issue. Vinícius ended months of negotiation this summer by committing his future to Real Madrid until 2032. He is not going anywhere, and the international break now gives him a fortnight away from the noise.
What happens when he comes back is the real question. The Bernabéu will not be argued out of its mood in a press conference; it will be argued out of it by a goal, a run, a night where Vinícius settles a game the way he used to. Mourinho believes it is coming. Until it does, the whistles stay.
